This short video clip is stirring up lots of controversy among my French Bulldog friends on Facebook. Comments range from “those owners are so cruel!”, to “they’re going to kill that little dog making him do that!!”.

Personally, as soon as I saw it, my first thought was “go little guy, go!”. You can tell he’s having loads of fun – his little bum is wiggling as he pulls. His parents are clearly not forcing or coercing him to do this – they’re encouraging him and calling to him. Also, hello? Have you ever tried to force a French Bulldog to do anything he really doesn’t want to? Good luck with that.

I think the ‘controversy’ arises because more and more fanciers see Frenchies as somehow not ‘real’ dogs. We’ve always heard the well meaning but illogical advice not to ‘let’ Frenchies jump on or off of the couch, which has now extended to owners (and a handful of breeders) insisting that agility and obedience are also ‘cruel’ and not suitable for Frenchies.

Should dogs with injuries or degenerative disc disease be doing weight pull or agility? Of course not – but then again, just because humans with injuries shouldn’t run marathons or play tennis, doesn’t mean that no one else should, either.

A healthy French Bulldog in the prime of his life can enjoy sports like weight pull or agility, just as much as any other breed of dog. Any exercise that means owners and their dogs spend more time together is a wonderful thing.

Of course, I might also be prejudiced – one of the French Bulldogs I bred has his weight pull title (along with seventeen other titles, as well). Since he’s still going strong at fourteen, I think it’s safe to say it hasn’t done him any harm.

Either way, watch the video yourself, and let me know what you think in the comments – is weight pull a fun sport for a healthy French Bulldog, or a form of cruelty to animals?

If you haven’t been watching our newly re introduced French Bulldog puppy cam, you’re missing out. The cam, on periodically throughout the day, is a close up view of the puppies, doing the things puppies do – eating, sleeping, rolling around, kicking their feet in the air, and generally being adorable. The cam isn’t on all day (we have country internet with a usage cap, and running it 24/7 would kill us), but I announce when it’s on via Twitter and Facebook. Here’s the link –

The cam (which is a Dropcam, and I can NOT recommend it highly enough!!) works on all desktop computers, but on mobile devices you might have to install the Dropcam app, look up the cam feed, and watch via the app. If all of that sounds like just too much work, check out this timelapse video, of a single afternoon on the live cam – and then you’ll know what you’re missing!

I found this gem in the British Pathe film library – it’s footage of the Richmond, UK dog show, and shows several breeds, including a French Bulldog named “Champion Baxter’s Atom”, owned by one of England’s most renowned, French Bulldog breeders, Mrs. Townsend Green.

Mrs Townsend Green was one of the most respected Frenchie authorities in the UK. She was one of the nine founding members of the French Bulldog Club of England (FBCE). Her Roquet 96 (by Boule ex Boulette) won the first French Bulldog show in England, held on April 7, 1903 at Tattersall’s in London. Mrs Townsend Green’s renowned Barkston kennel was founded in 1897, had a great influence on Frenchie breeding in England in the 1920s and ’30s and continued until 1940. The good lady was president of the FBCE from 1926 to 1944 and died in 1951.

– Bonham’s Auction House

Atom, the dog shown in the Pathe film clip, is a solid, cobby,moderate backed little dark brindle bitch, with a reasonable amount of stop and nicely rounded ears (although for today’s taste they seem a little bit low set – partially a result of having a film camera shoved into her face, perhaps!).

In contrast with many other breeds, this bitch would still be ‘in the ribbons’ if she was shown in most countries around the world, and she’d certainly earn a place in most breeding programs. This is because, for the most part, French Bulldog breeders have held out against being persuaded that overly exaggerated features are necessary to win in the show ring (and to sell puppies to pet owners, many of whom are just as guilty of desiring extreme features as the most inept judges could ever be).

Moderation is a difficult thing to achieve – it’s easy to pick out the BIGGEST dog, or the FLATTEST face, or the SHORTEST back, because extremes ‘stand out’ and draw our eye. Moderation, that underrated virtue, can seem to ‘blend’ into the background, unless we can learn to value and recognize it. Remember, just because something is difficult, doesn’t mean it isn’t worth striving for.

As modern breeders, we have to ask ourselves – “Do we want to be the generation responsible for screwing up the French Bulldog?”.

Do we want to allow ourselves to be swayed for a desire for ‘extremes’ instead of the moderate, healthy, sound dogs that have survived virtually unchanged for over a hundred years? Let’s hope not – or a hundred years from now, there might not even be a French Bulldog, other than in film clips. This is why it is SO important to fight back against breed clubs that attempt to impose arbitrary, cosmetic and potentially dramatically detrimental changes to breed standards that have stood the test of time.

Image below is of the trophy won by Mrs. Townsend Green’s French Bulldog ‘Barkston FanFan’, awarded by French Bulldog Club of England for the Best Dog exhibited at their show June 19 1922

presented by the French Bulldog Club of England for the Best Dog exhibited at their show June 19 1922 won by Mrs Townsend Green’s ‘Barkston FanFan’

https://i2.wp.com/www.bullmarketfrogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/download.jpeg?fit=720%2C571571720Carolhttp://www.bullmarketfrogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/bullmarket-logo.pngCarol2014-03-07 17:52:572014-03-07 17:52:57Vintage French Bulldogs - Old Fashioned is Still in Style

I’m not sure what the weather is like where you are, but we’ve been snowed in more days this winter than I can count. That’s ok, though, because what better way is there to spend a snow day than playing on the floor with a pack of French Bulldog puppies?

Here’s a video of Viola’s five Frenchie puppies, and their ‘big sister’, Squishii. French Bulldog puppy playtime is the best playtime of all!